Clipmarks | bignosemousie's clips

Inedible and dangerous: black and white animals

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:06:28 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: I was playing a game with my daughter and discovered there are more black and white animals than I thought.

Clip Source: tiger.gsfc.nasa.gov

Clip Source: www.fantom-xp.com

Clip Source: www.wildlifedamagecontrol.net

Clip Source: findarticles.com

In the human arena, simple black-and-white color schemes jump out from a more complicated world as effective attention-getting devices. Like the stripes on railroad crossing gates, they warn of danger. To would-be predators, patterns found on the likes of striped polecats, marbled salamanders and Carabid beetles cry out that the wearer is inedible, dangerous or foul tasting. Predators quickly learn not to touch.

While in Egypt preparing bird skins for a museum collection, the scientist noticed that swarms of hornets were feeding on the skinned remains of doves but ignoring nearby carcasses of pied kingfishers. Could it be, Cott wondered, that the black-and-white plumage of the pied kingfisher was warning coloration? The biologist ran blind taste tests with the flesh of 38 different species of birds, using humans, cats and hornets as tasters. Astonishingly, the diverse group concurred, giving the 'least edible' rating to the only three black-and-white birds on the menu.

Don't end up simply having visited this world

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:54:14 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: When it is over, I don't want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.

-Mary Oliver
From New and Selected Poems

Clip Source: 37days.typepad.com

When death comes
like the hungry bear in autumn;
when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;
when death comes
like the measles-pox;
when death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:
what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything
as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth
tending as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something
precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

Did you get what you wanted from this life?

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:50:48 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie

Clip Source: 37days.typepad.com

Late Fragment

And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.

-Raymond Carver

Make it stop!

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:41:43 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Stop throwing knives at your babies!

Clip Source: blogs.chron.com

[Video]

Changing the worst day into the best day

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:37:16 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Send a box of love, hope and joy to the troops.

Clip Source: soldiersangels.org

I don't know it this makes any sense to you but, when I get a box or anyone else gets a box its hard to describe. You find a nice quiet corner and everyone knows not to bother you. You sit there and look over the box as if you had never seen anything like it before.

Once inside, you go through it, every little item once, twice, sometimes three times, it's a very delicate process. You breathe it in and you think of the person who sent it to you. You think of home, family, cars, summer.....everything all at once and for a very short time, you are there away from this SH*T hole. You are grateful. Then you look around and there's always a buddy who is down or having a bad day. You share your box--sometimes just with the one guy, sometimes with everyone, and it's electric.

...It's not the "things" that are sent that matter to us, it's the thought. That's the power ALL of you have who take the time to send things. You can change the worst day into the best day, in a split second. - MP in Iraq

Mystery on Fifth Avenue

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:07:47 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: This is such an strange tale. Imagine your architect designing a mystery into your walls and furniture for you to discover one day.

It's long but worth it.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

PUZZLER Eric Clough, the designer, turned the high-end renovation into a Rube Goldberg-like contraption. More Photos »

THINGS are not as they seem in the 14th-floor apartment on upper Fifth Avenue.

They are living in a typical habitat for the sort of New Yorkers they appear to be: an enormous ’20s-era co-op with Central Park views

But some of that furniture and some of those walls conceal secrets — messages, games and treasures — that make up a Rube Goldberg maze of systems and contraptions conceived by a young architectural designer named Eric Clough, whose ideas about space and domestic living derive more from Buckminster Fuller than Peter Marino.

The apartment even comes with its own book,

It has its own soundtrack, too

England vs.Britain vs. UK

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:35:43 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: I'm asking for help here from my friendly clippers. Is England considered a country? Is the United Kingdom considered a country? Is Northern Ireland considered a country or a province?

This Wikipedia entry is confusing. The UK includes Northern Ireland, whereas Great Britain (or Britain) does not. Right?

Thanks for helping me understand this better.

Clip Source: ask.metafilter.com

England is country in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom contains England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Great Britain is the island containing England, Wales and Scotland.

The full name of the UK is 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain,^[3] is a sovereign island country^[4]^[5] located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe.

The United Kingdom is a union^[7]^[8] of four constituent countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is governed by a Parliamentary System with its seat of government in London, the capital, and a constitutional monarchy with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.

Tags: geography, england, wales, scotland, northern ireland, great britain, the united kingdom

Magic in your glass

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:02:31 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: How sweet!

Clip Source: www.worldwidefred.com

This unique ice tray creates magic wands fit for a fairy
princess - sparkly glittery reusable drinking straws with
star-shaped ice cubes at the tip! What little girl could
resist? Ice Princess is made from 100% pure food-
grade silicone with freezer safe straws, packed in
recyclable, peggable clear boxes.

Bicicletta recipe

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:52:48 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie

Clip Source: hedonia.seantimberlake.com

Bicicletta

1 part Campari
2 parts light white wine, like Pinot Grigio
good splash club soda
ice

Pour ingredients over ice in a wine glass and stir to combine. Sip while fanning yourself and watching the world go by from behind your enormous Fendi sunglasses. Repeat as necessary.

Perfect popovers - recipe

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:21:50 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: I have a popover pan, but I wish I had two. 6 popovers go fast in my house.

Clip Source: www.shelterrific.com

Preheat oven to 425 — with your pan in the oven. Put three eggs, one cup of milk, one cup of flour, two tsp oil, half tsp of salt. Combine everything in a blender on high speed until bubbly, about ten seconds. Fill your PRE HEATED muffin pan 1/2 full. Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees, reduce heat, bake additional 20 minutes at 350 degrees. The temperature changes are very important. Do that, tread softly, and get ready to impress!

Tags: popovers, recipe

Wearing your gun in plain view

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:48:11 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: I had no idea so many states had open-carry laws on the books.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

Texas is just one of six states in which handguns can't be worn in plain view. The other 44 states, in the parlance of gun advocates, are known as "open-carry" states.

More than 3,500 people have signed an online petition asking Gov. Rick Perry and the Legislature to permit Texans to wear their handguns without concealing them.

"Cowboys and Indians, and the Alamo — and many just assumed that Texas was an open-carry state," wrote Gary Williams, who signed the petition. "Clearly, there are some changes that need to be made."

Tags: texas, laws, gun ownership, guns

How to leave for Paris in 56 minutes

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:59:44 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Organization is freedom!

See the source for a blow-by-blow of the 56 minutes.

Clip Source: www.sufficientthrust.com

The main complaint I hear about getting organized, maintaining lists, etc. is that it’s so constricting. People feel like slaves to their To Do lists, chained to their project notebooks and their Crackberries.

I would argue that these people are not truly organized at all, for the goal of organization is the greatest goal there is: freedom.

It’s tomorrow morning, and you’ve just woken up. You’re really craving a croissant from a sidewalk cafe — in Paris. Sixty minutes later, you’re in your car, on the way to the airport.

Your initial reaction this was probably: “Impossible! Only a rich person who didn’t work could do that.” But you’d be wrong. If they’re not organized, even a billionaire couldn’t make it out the door that fast. However, if they are truly organized, someone with just a small amount of money in the bank can be out the door within the hour, and more importantly, they’ll be able to enjoy an entirely stress-free trip.

Tags: organization, travel

Twitter Hall of Shame

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:43:26 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Because I live under a rock, I found many interesting things on this list. Poking around the links led me to some very good articles.

I learned a lot about how companies can use Twitter to interact with their customer base, as well as ways to screw that all up.

Clip Source: www.insidecrm.com

A collection of angry, awkward and funny Twitter messages.

Comcast Complaints: Comcast found out what customers really think of it on Twitter.

Moonman: MTV Networks tries to reach out via Twitter.

The New York Times: The New York Times uses its Twitter feed to push headlines, so it's no wonder that the majority of subscribers are just other The New York Times feeds.

Innocent Drinks on Twitter: Innocent Drinks has been criticized for creating a one-sided, underused Twitter account.

Comcast's One-Person Outage: Michael Arrington publicly complained about his Comcast connection and got results.

Laurel Touby Brags: Laurel sent out a few tweets about her dinner with two "Bloomergonians."

Drunk Twittering: Zappos.com Inc. offers a warning against Twittering while drunk.

Twitter Wine Tasting: Project Vino held a Twitter wine-tasting party.

Arrested: A University of California, Berkeley grad student told his Twitter followers that he's been arrested, and they came to his rescue.

School policy was to swim naked

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:38:35 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: The whole article is pretty interesting. I wonder what brought about the policy change? LOL. Wow.

The author attended this school in the 60s. It is interesting how the men older than him seemed to have less of a problem with it all.

Clip Source: www.chron.com

But my strangest memory of Johnston has nothing to do with any student's behavior. A school policy from those days has left me mystified.

Boys had to swim naked in gym class.

People are shocked when I tell them. They don't believe it.

We boys rarely talked about it. I don't think the girls knew. They wore bathing suits. I never mentioned it to my parents.

The practice went on for decades, which means many thousands of Houston men went through this. Some may have blocked it out.

Just how widespread was this practice?

At the risk of ending my chances of becoming a district attorney, I went online and Googled the search words: "boys," "nude," "gym" and "class."

Lo and behold, there was an online forum on the topic:

It turned out that men from across the U.S. swam naked in school — in Blue States and Red States — and they were sharing memories.

Fireproof

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:15:03 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: From the movie's website (totally clip-proof, haha):

As the couple prepares to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's father challenges his son to commit to a 40-day experiment: "The Love Dare."

Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees-for his father's sake more than for his marriage. When Caleb discovers the book's daily challenges are tied into his parents' newfound faith, his already limited interest is further dampened.

While trying to stay true to his promise, Caleb becomes frustrated time and again. He finally asks his father, "How am I supposed to show love to somebody who constantly rejects me?"

When his father explains that this is the love Christ shows to us, Caleb makes a life-changing commitment to love God. And with God's help he begins to understand what it means to truly love his wife.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Clip Source: fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com

“I laughed, cried, clapped, and sat on the edge of my seat throughout this movie. All of my expectations, built from the first post on your production blog to now, were highly exceeded! I knew from the trailer that it was going to be something very special, but I was blown away at the message, the production quality, the acting, and the WOW factor that I saw on the screen.

“I know that this is going to have a tremendous impact on lives all over this nation and the world. I have a wonderful marriage, but I even took things from the movie that I can apply to my marriage to make it better.”

Clip Source: fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com

Because Opening Weekend is the key to any movie’s success. If a movie does well on Opening Weekend, it plays longer in the theaters where it opens and expands into other cities. If it doesn’t do well …

In other words, we have three days—September 26, 27, and 28—to show the movie industry that FIREPROOF is the type of film we want playing in our local cineplexes.

Tags: movie, fireproof